All Woman


"All Woman" is a song recorded by British singer Lisa Stansfield for her 1991 album, Real Love. It was written by Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Devaney and Morris. It was released as the second single on 9 December 1991 in the United Kingdom and in early 1992 in the rest of the world. The Nick Brandt-directed music video was also released. The song reached number twenty in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it peaked at number fifty-six on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number twenty-one on the Adult Contemporary Singles. The single's B-side included previously unreleased track, "Everything Will Get Better." The latter was remixed by Danny Tenaglia and reached number thirty-six on the Hot Dance Club Songs.
In 2003, "All Woman" was included on . In 2014, the remixes of "Everything Will Get Better" were included on the deluxe 2CD + DVD re-release of Real Love.

Critical reception

The song received favorable reviews from most music critics. AllMusic editor Alex Henderson noted the song as a "poigant and heartbreaking ballad". Bay Area Reporter stated in their review of Real Love, that "it’s the ballad “All Woman” that’s going to sell this set." Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "deeply affecting ballad" and noted that "poignant lyrics inspire what is easily Stansfield's strongest performance to date; she is caressed by muted strings and a soft, R&B-grounded bass line." Boston Herald wrote that "the husky-voiced singer purrs through a string of lushly orchestrated dance/pop love ballads" as "All Woman". Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report called it a "slice of real life stir human emotions". He stated that Stansfield "puts all her heart" into the song. Daniel S. Housman from Miscellany News commented that it is "a smoldering ballad about a hardworking housewife who is hurt by her husband's insensitive remarks." Music & Media wrote that the song is a "smooth ballad, not heard anymore since the top days of Shirley Bassey." They added that Stansfield "should be an excellent choice to sing lead on a future 007 soundtrack." Stephen Holden from Rolling Stone noted it as a "gem" from the Real Love |Real Love album. He said it is an "almost overripe ballad about a long-suffering wife that sounds tailor-made for Gladys Knight, although Knight would have a hard time topping Stansfield's version."

Track listings

European/US 7" single / Japanese CD single
  1. "All Woman" – 4:49
  2. "Everything Will Get Better" – 5:00
European CD single
  1. "All Woman" – 4:49
  2. "Everything Will Get Better" – 8:03
  3. "Change" – 7:04
US 12" single
  1. "All Woman" – 5:16
  2. "Everything Will Get Better" – 6:35
  3. "Everything Will Get Better" – 8:01
  4. "Everything Will Get Better" – 9:54

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Cover versions

The song was covered by Marcia Hines for her 2007 album, Life.